My kitchen

I’ve put several pages under the ‘my kitchen’ heading, to give you more idea of what my cooking is all about. For one thing, I love food and am a bit of a pig, so things filling, rich and indulgent all live in my cupboard or my fridge-freezer; but I also like to eat well, so I’m always interested in what’s healthy and what isn’t. Then at least I know when I’m being wicked…

There’s also a page about growing stuff; not about a full-blown kitchen garden or an allotment, but about tubs on the patio, a windowbox. Even high-rise city-dwellers can grow some fresh stuff which tastes better and puts vitamins, minerals, enzymes and sunshine into their bodies. It’s satisfying, too, picking and eating home-grown produce, even if it’s a pot of parsley.

I use lots of herbs and spices in my kitchen, but as I keep telling you, I’m lax, lazy and louche in the kitchen, so real chefs will tsk at my use of store-bought spice mixes and tsk again at my unorthodox use of seasonings and flavourings, but in my book if it tastes good, it’s okay…

I’m not criticizing chefs, amateur or professional, for being passionate about perfection and the best of all things. I love being fed by brilliant cooks (especially if I don’t have to do the washing up), and although my palate isn’t subtle or trained, I really appreciate flavours, textures, aromas and visual presentation produced by amazing skill and artistry. But at home I try my best to get away with as little work as possible for the tastiest results.

There’s a cheeky page about entertaining with minimum fuss and maximum impact; I tend to do occasional big meals rather than lots of intimate dinners (because, of course, I’m lazy). So I’ve got a few suggestions for you which people have commented on at my parties. You probably have far better tricks and tips, so be generous and share here!

Garlic – one of my most essential essentials